N.Y. Crim. Proc. Law § 720.15

§ 720.15 Youthful offender procedure; sealing of accusatory instrument;\n privacy of proceedings; preliminary instructions to jury.\n 1. When an accusatory instrument against an apparently eligible youth\nis filed with a court, it shall be filed as a sealed instrument, though\nonly with respect to the public.\n 2. When a youth is initially arraigned upon an accusatory instrument,\nsuch arraignment and all proceedings in the action thereafter may, in\nthe discretion of the court and with the defendant's consent, be\nconducted in private.\n 3. The provisions of subdivisions one and two of this section\nrequiring or authorizing the accusatory instrument filed against a youth\nto be sealed, and the arraignment and all proceedings in the action to\nbe conducted in private shall not apply in connection with a pending\ncharge of committing any felony offense as defined in the penal law. The\nprovisions of subdivision one requiring the accusatory instrument filed\nagainst a youth to be sealed shall not apply where such youth has\npreviously been adjudicated a youthful offender or convicted of a crime.\n 4. Notwithstanding any provision in this article, a person charged\nwith prostitution as defined in section 230.00 of the penal law or\nloitering for the purposes of prostitution as defined in subdivision two\nof section 240.37 of the penal law, provided that the person does not\nstand charged with loitering for the purpose of patronizing a\nprostitute, and such person is aged sixteen or seventeen when such\noffense occurred, regardless of whether such person (i) had prior to\ncommencement of trial or entry of a plea of guilty been convicted of a\ncrime or found a youthful offender, or (ii) subsequent to such\nconviction for prostitution or loitering for prostitution is convicted\nof a crime or found a youthful offender, the provisions of subdivisions\none and two of this section requiring or authorizing the accusatory\ninstrument filed against a youth to be sealed, and the arraignment and\nall proceedings in the action to be conducted in private shall apply.\n